Orange County SC picked up their fifth victory in six matches in a 4-3 come from behind victory over Memphis 901 FC on Saturday, July 22 at AutoZone Park in Memphis, TN. The match featured six first half goals, an own goal, two red cards, and a late winner from substitute forward Bryce Jamison to secure all three points for the County Boys.
The hosts opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Memphis had a corner kick that fell to midfielder Emerson Hyndman who struck on the half volley. His shot took a wicked bounce just in front of goalkeeper Colin Shutler and over the Orange County netminder for a 1-0 Memphis lead.
Orange County nearly leveled the match through forward Marc “Sparky” McNulty in the 21st minute. Defender Ryan Doghman played a fantastic ball into the six-yard box that beat the defender and the goalkeeper, but McNulty’s strike rang off the post.
Just two minutes later, Memphis 901 FC added a second goal after defender Rece Buckmaster cleanly struck a volley into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 Memphis in the 23rd minute.
Reigning USL Championship Golden Boot winner Milan Iloski was able to stop the bleeding for OCSC in the 24th minute, after his brother midfielder Brian Iloski played a ball through to Milan, who then chipped the Memphis goalkeeper Drew Romig to bring Orange County within 1 at 2-1.
Later in the 32nd minute, midfielder Kyle Scott played a through ball, while being fouled, into the path of Sparky McNulty. Sparky fought off the challenge from the two center backs and ultimately poked the ball past Romig and the two sides were all tied up at 2-2.
Late in the first half, Memphis 901 FC forward Rodrigo da Costa restored the lead for the home side after the ball pinballed around in the six-yard box after a collision between Shutler and Hyndman, and the Brazilian found the back of the net for a 3-2 Memphis lead in the 44th minute.
The Black and Orange found an equalizer in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time, when Doghman intercepted a pass in his own half, carried the ball into the attacking third and let a shot rip just outside the 18-yard box, that clipped off of Memphis defender Graham Smith and past his goalkeeper Romig and it was honors even 3-3 going into halftime.
After that first half roller coaster, the match pace slowed down a bit in the second half, until Memphis defender Jeremy Kelly picked up his second yellow card for a tackle on Milan Iloski in the 75th minute, and OCSC found themselves with a man advantage for the final 15 minutes.
In the 81st minute, Jamison made a darting run down the center of the park and substitute forward Thomas Amang played a beautiful rabona that cleared Memphis backline. Jamison outraced the defense into the box, and beat Romig to put OCSC on top for the first time all night at 4-3. A lead the Black and Orange did not surrender and now head home to Orange County with all three points.
OCSC returns to The Champ on Saturday, July 29 when they face New Mexico United on Family Game Night and our Touch-A-Truck event! Come on out for a full day of family fun as OCSC look to extend their fantastic run of form! Grab your tickets here today!
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Milan Iloski recorded his ninth goal of the season, moving him into fourth place in the USL Championship Golden Boot race.
Sparky McNulty scored his second OCSC goal, with his goal in the 32nd minute.
Own goal appeared on the scoresheet for the first time for OCSC this year.
Bryce Jamison tallied his first USL Championship goal of 2023, after recording a goal in the U.S. Open Cup earlier this year.
This is OCSC’s fifth win in their last six matches, and are now above the playoff line for the first time this year.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| MEM | 3 | 0 | 3 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
6’ Emerson Hyndman (MEM)
22’ Rece Buckmaster (MEM)
24’ Milan Iloski (OCSC)
32’ Sparky McNulty (OCSC)
44’ Rodrigo da Costa (MEM)
45 +6’ Graham Smith – OG (OCSC)
81’ Bryce Jamison (OCSC)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
31’ Ryan Doghman
43’ Milan Iloski
45 +2’ Dillon Powers
77’ Alex Villanueva
MEMPHIS 901 FC
33’ Rece Buckmaster
68’ Jeremy Kelly
70’ Jelani Peters
74’ Jeremy Kelly – RED
88’ Akeem Ward
89’ Leston Paul
90 +2’ Bruno Lapa – RED
90 +4’ Nighte Pickering
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Colin Shutler (GK); Ryan Doghman, Markus Nakkim (C), Dillon Powers, Owen Lambe; Seth Casiple (Thomas Amang 46’), Kevin Partida, Kyle Scott (Ashish Chattha 58’), Brian Iloski (Korede Osundina 65’); Sparky McNulty (Alex Villanueva 58’), Milan Iloski (Bryce Jamison 77’)
Unused subs: Juan Santana (GK), Brent Richards
Head Coach: Morten Karlsen
Possession: 36% | Shots: 7 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corners: 0 | Fouls: 10 | Offsides: 5 |
MEMPHIS 901 FC LINEUP:
Drew Romig (GK); Akeem Ward, Jelani Peters, Graham Smith, Rece Buckmaster; Laurent Kissiedou (Nighte Pickering 71’), Emerson Hyndman (Leston Paul 78’), Luis Fernando (Rashawn Dally 71’), Aaron Malloy (C), Jeremy Kelly; Rodrigo da Costa (Bruno Lapa 78’)
Unused subs: Aren Seeger (GK), Dylan Borczak, Lucas Turci
Head Coach: Stephen Glass
Possession: 64% | Shots: 6 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 4 | Fouls: 16 | Offsides: 3 |
Orange County SC @ Memphis 901 FC
2023 USL Championship | Matchday 21
Date: July 22, 2023
Venue: AutoZone Park (Memphis, TN)
Weather: Charmin might be a good sponsor for that broadcast booth…